Playing a Part
by Because I Can and Will
Summary: Heather has always had conflicted feelings about her brother, Dagur, but was able to cover them up while with the dragon hunters by telling herself she was only playing a part in a larger scheme. However, sometimes playing her part felt a little easier. Includes sibling bonding, and my take on how Dagur got his facial scar. One-shot


Disclaimer: I own nothing. The characters should pray for their good fortune.

Title: Playing a Part

Summary: Heather has always had conflicted feelings about her brother, Dagur, but was able to cover them up while with the dragon hunters by telling herself she was only playing a part in a larger scheme. However, sometimes playing her part felt a little easier. Includes sibling bonding, and my take on how Dagur got his facial scar.

Author's Note: I have been trying to find some sibling bonding fics for months now about Heather and Dagur. They must have bonded some, we can clearly see that in Maces and Talons Parts 1 and 2. However, I haven't seen all that many fics about building the sibling relationship between them. This story is told from Heather's POV, and I tried to stay true to her brooding character type, while attempting to blend Dagur's personalities from the last two seasons.

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Heather's POV

Heather sat on one of the dragon hunter's ships, sharpening her double sided axe, and scowling. She was waiting for Dagur and Ryker to finish getting the supplies they needed so they could continue on their journey, and finally meet the notorious Viggo Grimborn. However, it seemed that the two males were in no hurry, despite their assurances to her that it would be a quick stop, and they would be on their way in no time at all. That was ten hours ago, and Heather had lost her patience around the sixth hour.

She knew she should be enjoying her reprieve from constantly having to appear happy to be here, and she would have, if taking this long to get a few minor supplies wasn't a common occurrence. It seemed that they never were able to just make a fast stop, even though Dagur and Ryker always said that was the goal. Sure they made it seem like they were in a hurry, Ryker to see his brother, and Dagur to do anything to upset the dragon riders, but the two men were so easily distracted! Perhaps that is what upset Heather the most, the inability of the two men to stick to a simple plan, but deep down she knew it was something else.

Each time they made port it was the same. All the dragon hunters were eager to get off the ship, away from their superiors, and practically ran off the ship the moment they made port. Then Dagur and Ryker always practically dragged her off the ship, saying it was good for her to come along and have some fun in whatever town they were in. So she always went with them, mainly to keep an eye on them to ensure they didn't burn down the town or something equally likely. Then the moment they made it off the ship it seemed like just about every woman in the area flocked toward the dragon hunters, and in particular, Dagur and Ryker. Heather was so over watching the two men get caught up with whatever woman happened to catch their eye, and typically returned to the ship after she managed to get ALL the main supplies by herself.

It infuriated her to no end that all these women were obsessed with the dragon hunters, Dagur and Ryker in particular, and she had no idea why! She couldn't fathom why everywhere they went all the women seemed to flirt endlessly with either of them. Sure, they had the whole bad boy image going for them, something she was never into, she liked Fishlegs afterall, but she doubted that was the only reason why. The problem was that she couldn't think of another reason for the absurd amount of attention they received. Either way she was sick of it, and felt that it was keeping her from achieving her goal of taking out the dragon hunters and her so called brother that much sooner. Some people would have mistaken her rage for jealousy, but that was far from the truth. She was growing tired of playing the part she had taken on, and with the end in sight she was ready for the battle to come.

It wasn't that she begrudged Dagur and Ryker for enjoying themselves, it was that she felt they didn't deserved to be happy. Ryker had murdered countless people and dragons, and Dagur was much worse. They didn't deserve to be happy in her opinion, and she supposed she was angry with the women that flocked to them for providing them that happiness. She wanted to kill them both, not watch them make goo goo eyes at some pretty face.

As she was sharpening her axe her anger caused her to push too hard and chip the edge of her axe. She hissed in fury and threw the axe hard against the deck of the ship. However, it was at that moment that people started filing back onto the ship, led by Dagur and Ryker. They both looked at her oddly, and then at each other, before Dagur had to run his mouth further souring her mood.

"See, you should have joined us. You are far too tense". His smile unnerved her more, and she had to remind herself that she needed to pretend to like him, and that removing his head from his body would sent the wrong message to the dragon hunters at this point in time. So instead of retorting she plucked her axe out of the wood it was lodged in, and stalked off to another corner of the ship.

A moment later Dagur joined her, leaning on the side of the ship, his face conveying a serious expression. He appeared to be in one of his better moods, but Heather knew that could change at any moment, and she realized she wanted it too. She wanted him to get angry, because she was angry and unhappy, and she deserved happiness far more than he did. She stayed quiet and brooding though, attempting to sharpen the chip out of her axe.

A moment later Dagur sighed, and attempted to talk to her again. "Alright, what's got you so upset. If there is one thing I've learned over the years, it's that women like to talk things out, not keep them inside".

That angered Heather even more. How dare he address her as if she, and every other woman for that matter, acted and needed the same things. "Maybe if you didn't spend so much time surrounded by your admirers, and assuming you know so much about women, we wouldn't always end up behind schedule!" She snapped at him, fully expecting him to snap back at her or stalk off, but was surprised when neither happened. Instead of running off or acting out Dagur just tilted his head, keeping his expression neutral. Heather rose a brow, unsure where this conversation was going now.

Dagur was studying her, and after a moment he just shook his head and spoke in a friendly tone. "Heather, you don't need to be nervous. We will meet Viggo soon enough, and everything will be fine. I know Ryker and I promised to make this stop quick, and I am sorry that we extended our stay, but you need to have a little fun too. You are too serious. You could use a vacation". He seemed pleased with himself over that reply, and Heather wasn't surprised. It was perfectly fine in his mind if he was upset or obsessed with anything, but not if anyone else was.

"Someone on this ship has to keep the end goal in mind, clearly you and Ryker are too busy making goo goo eyes at anyone that walks by to keep yourselves in check". Heather was attempting to calm herself and justify her actions, passing them off as plausible concerns for the mission instead of her annoyance and inner turmoil.

Dagur chuckled at her, and his eyes grew mischievous. "Maybe you should try it sometime, plenty of young men seem interested in you too".

Heather's cheeks burned with embarrassment at Dagur's teasing. She tried to think of something to take the conversation off of her, and direct it back to her anger against him. "I am not so easily distracted, unlike everyone else on this ship." She then mumbled under her breath "I don't even know why you all have so many distractions in the first place".

She didn't think he heard her, but to her horror he must have, because he laughed loudly. She grew red with embarrassment again, and knew that he wasn't letting this conversation go now.

After a moment his laughter subsided, and calmed down enough to speak. "Well I could list a bunch of reasons." Heather rolled her eyes at his narcissism. "However, I think there are a few that stand out above the rest." Heather again rolled her eyes, expecting Dagur to start talking about his supposed brilliance, but was surprised at what he said next. "First, women seem to be attracted to men who are physically fit, something that applies to every man on this ship. Second, the reputation of the dragon hunters proceeds us, and makes us all more attractive wherever we go. That's probably why you see so many people flock to greet us whenever we make port. As for why so many girls like me, well there are several common things I've noticed." Heather's face fell as she exhaled, expecting a long monolog from Dagur about how wonderful he thought he was, but instead he gave her a short answer. "The two main things are simply that not many people have red hair, and women seem to be attracted to scars and tattoos, which I have a lot of. So I have those two things going for me."

He leaned back against the side seeming pleased with himself, and his answer. Heather studied him for a moment, still annoyed with him, and his beaming attitude. She studied the scar on his face, something she had always been curious about. She was planning on killing him soon anyway, so she figured she might as well engage her curiosity, and if she could kill his happy mood that would be a bonus.

She tapped her fingers along the side as she considered her question. "What do you tell them when they ask about all your scars and tattoos?" She phrased the question innocently, and was pleased to see the smile fall from his face.

His eyes fell briefly, before lighting up again with his reply. "Does it really matter? I just make up a great tale about a fight with a dragon or something equally impressive." That darn smile was back as he gestured grandly, so Heather decided to pry further.

"Do you ever tell them the truth?" She arched a brow and made her expression look as though she were scolding a child for lying about something trivial. She knew that asking too many personal questions was one sure fire way to antagonize Dagur, and ruin his mood.

Dagur's smile was gone now, replaced with a small frown. He looked out to the horizon and leaned further on the side of the ship, before replying in a neutral tone that didn't betray much emotion. "The truth is boring, stories are far more fun."

Heather was pleased with herself for at least making Dagur slightly miserable, but she wanted more for some reason. She was still so angry at him all the time, and hated seeing him the least bit happy. She didn't think it was fair that after all he had done in his life that he got to have these moments of happiness, while she had never hurt anyone but remained miserable all the time. So she pushed further, not really expecting an answer, but hoping to open up the wound further. "So what is the truth then?"

As she expected she received no answer, and Dagur just stared out to the horizon as his frown deepened. She had officially killed his mood now, and smiled slightly as she returned to sharpening her axe on a nearby barrel. She had almost fixed the chipped axe when Dagur started talking, and startled her, causing her to make another small chip in the metal. Dagur had not moved from the position he had taken up when she asked him for the story, so she moved closer to hear him. He was speaking softly, and she could tell his mind wasn't focused on the present moment.

"The truth really is boring." He began with downcast green eyes that seemed to have lost their color. Heathers own green eyes grew sharp and attentive watching him intently as he continued. "There really isn't much to say about it. Prison on Outcast Island is a particularly violent place, and Alvin likes to take his temper out on those who can't fight back. So whenever he was in a bad mood, we all knew it would end badly for us. On one of his particularly bad days he dropped by my cell, eyes blazing with evil intention and a cruel smirk. He wasn't alone, and brought a few people with him. They all grabbed me and forced me to walk to a nearby fire pit, while Alvin created, what he later called his masterpiece, on my face. They all forced me to the ground and pinned me there, using my hair to hold my head in place, while Alvin heated up a nearby fire poker in the flames. At first I thought he was going to stab out my eye." A harsh laugh from Dagur followed that, and Heather noticed how he tensed and his eyes hardened. "I'm still surprised he didn't. He certainly got a kick out of dragging the burning rod across my face." Dagur was quiet for a moment before he seemed to snap back to reality, and focused his now sharp eyes on her. "So do you understand why you need to enjoy life a little. Bad things happen Heather, and believe me I am completely for brooding about it, but we need little moments of happiness in our lives to remind us that it's not all bad."

Heather wasn't sure what to say, so she just nodded her head at his comment. Dagur seemed done with the conversation though, saving her from having to come up with a reply. He pushed himself away from the side of the ship and began to walk off, but not before turning slightly to look her dead in the eye, a threat veiled in his next comment. "Just in case it wasn't clear, this conversation stays between us." Heather nodded, and seeming satisfied he strode off.

Heather returned to her barrel with her axe mulling over what she was just told. She had officially ruined Dagur's mood, and could hear him yelling at everyone on deck, yet instead of being happy, it just made her feel hollow inside. She felt bad she realized, and it unsettled her. She felt closer to Dagur, and it mixed with her already conflicted feelings. She continued to sharpen her axe, and mull over this new sense of turmoil. Somehow playing her part didn't seem as hard as it had earlier anymore.

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So that is the end, as this is just a one-shot. I hope you all liked it, and remember to leave reviews to let me know what you thought.


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